Klingon Defense Force
(2376-2380s) (2409-???) }} The Klingon Defense Force (KDF), sometimes referred to as the Klingon Imperial Fleet or the Klingon Imperial Navy, is the military arm of the Klingon Empire. The command branch of the Defense Force is the Klingon High Command. ( , ) Background The Defense Force was known to consist of two elements, the first of which is the Deep Space Fleet (DSF) which consists of the regular naval forces. The second military group is the Internal Security Force (ISF) which operated smaller ships whose duties include policing rules, border patrols, anti-piracy duties, safety & rescue and customs along with tariff regulations. Their duty also extends to watching over client or conquered worlds to ensure they do not rise up against the Empire. However, despite its duties, the ISF is inferior to the DSF in political, military and even social standing. ( ) Though there exists the Klingon General Bureau that handles external intelligence operations; the two branches within the Defense Force operate their own intelligence branches which tends to cause duplication of work as well as political infighting. The Galactic Research Unit serves as the external intelligence agency for the Deep Space Fleet while the Maximum Veracity Directorate serves a similar role for the Internal Security Force. ( }}) History In 2153, the position of fleet admiral was held by . ( ) In 2165, the Klingon Empire dispatched its ship against the Ware and its robot ships, destroying and conquering the Partnership of Civilisations. ( ) Krell was critical of Humans in the year leading up to the Earth-Romulan War. In 2155, the Romulan Star Empire used arrenhe'hwiua telecapture technology to seize several Klingon battlecruisers and use them against a Human freighter. }}) During the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257, the forces of the Great Houses battled the Federation indidivually rather than as a cohesive army. ( ) In the 2260s decade, the KDF uniform consisted of a metallic sleeveless shirt over a black turtleneck, worn with black pants and boots. ( , ) A new uniform, consisting of black clothes and grey metal armor, had been introduced by 2273. ( ) thumb|K'vort-class bird-of-prey (24th century). Starfleet officers serving on KDF ships as part of the Officer Exchange Program continued to wear their regular uniform. ( ) This included Worf, son of Mogh, a Klingon Starfleet officer. ( ) By nature, the KDF was staffed by Klingons. Due to the influence of the alliance with the Federation, operating with non-Klingon personnel became an option. A Pheben - a jeghpu'wI' species, or conquered people - served on the former KDF flagship in 2385. ( ) As a result of the war between the Klingon Empire and the Gorn Hegemony in the 2390s, Gorn, Nausicaans and Orions began serving in the KDF. ( ) By 2409, other common officer species included the Letheans, who pursued membership in the Klingon Empire, aliens and Ferasans. A few commanding officers stemmed from joined Trill. With the return of the Borg Collective, some Klingon commanders were liberated Borg. ( ) With the establishment of the Delta Alliance in the Delta Quadrant, Talaxians were invited to serve in the KDF. ( ) Due to the alliance between the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Republic, officers of the Romulan Republican Force had access to KDF personnel, ships and technology. ( ) Following the accession of the Cardassian Union to the Alpha Quadrant Alliance in 2410, Cardassians were invited to command KDF ships. ( }}) thumb|''Hegh'ta''-class bird-of-prey (25th century). During the Hur'q Invasion of the Dominion in 2410, the Jem'Hadar Vanguard serving Odo became affiliated with Starfleet and the KDF. Life the RRF before, allegiance to either Starfleet or the KDF provided access to that service's respective resources. ( }}) In the 26th century, ships of the KDF participated in the pivotal Battle of Procyon V on behalf of the alliance, which led to a Federation victory against the Sphere Builders and the Temporal Liberation Front. ( , }}) thumb|''Bortas''-class battlecruiser (25th century). By 2769, the Klingon Empire had become a member of the Federation, which in turn led the Galactic Union alliance. ( ) In the 29th century, the KDF still fielded its own ships and IKS prefix, including the timeship shuttle. ( ) By the 31st century, the Federation instead relied on Starfleet designs for conflicts in the Temporal Cold War. ( ) Fleets * Gho'vaD Defense Fleet * Hegh yan Strike Fleet * Qabjech Exploratory Fleet * Qo'noS Home Fleet Tactics * BIng maneuver Ship classes Appendices Related articles * Klingon Defense Force Command Headquarters * Klingon Defense Force Political Corps * Klingon Internal Security External links * * Category:Klingon Empire Category:Military organizations